Carnival of Resistance to the Hostile Environment in the NHS – Sheffield, 18 September
Two years ago in Sheffield, Simba Mujakachi had a stroke which left him in a coma and fighting for his life. When he woke, he was given a £100,000 bill — all because of the racist Hostile Environment which forces the NHS to charge people for care on the basis of their immigration status.
Since then, more than 67,000 people have signed Simba’s petition calling for his bill to be scrapped and an end to all NHS charging for migrants.
Join Simba and the Justice for Simba Campaign for a Carnival of Resistance to the Hostile Environment in the NHS on Saturday 18th September. We’ll lead the carnival through Sheffield town centre before marching to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital to deliver his petition. These Walls Must Fall will be there too, and we hope that you can join us!
Will you be there to support Simba?
Simba’s Story
Our friend Simba has lived in the UK since he was 14 years old, when he and his family came to the UK from Zimbabwe. A few weeks before his 30th birthday, Simba Mujakachi suffered an unbearable headache and collapsed at home. He was rushed to his local hospital and needed life-saving brain surgery to relieve the pressure from bleeding in his brain. Simba survived, but the stroke left him in a coma for two weeks, and paralysed on his left side. He woke up to a bill for £93,000. Two years on, Simba is fighting for his recovery but Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is still chasing him for payment.
It’s likely Simba would not have had a stroke if he could have accessed the NHS services he needed. Hostile Environment policies force the NHS to make people like Simba pay upfront for their treatment. After Simba’s first few appointments to treat a blood clotting condition, he got a call from the finance department demanding over £6000, and as a refused asylum seeker who is not allowed to work, Simba could not afford to pay for this or other treatment. He did not see his specialist team for months, when he suddenly had a stroke and was taken to A&E. He then received a bill for £93,000, for the life-saving treatment he received. All because of his immigration status.
Simba, with his partner, family and other residents of Sheffield, then launched the Justice for Simba campaign, to fight against border controls in the NHS. Hear more about Simba’s story in his own words.
The Carnival of Resistance to the Hostile Environment in the NHS! 🎉 🥁 ✊🏽
When? Saturday 18th September 2021 @ 2pm
Where? Meet at Devonshire Green in Sheffield
On Saturday 18th September, join the Justice for Simba campaign, Medact Sheffield, Migrants Organise, These Walls Must Fall, SYMAAG, and many other friends from the Patients Not Passports campaign for a carnival of resistance to the Hostile Environment in the NHS!
We will march to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital to hand in the petition, demand that the hospital management meet with Simba and his supporters, and call on them to join us in opposition to Hostile Environment immigration policies.
If you can’t make it to Sheffield, we still need you to help us spread the word, and watch this space for solidarity actions on the day!
Thanks to These Walls Must Fall for putting together this call out for action for Justice For Simba
